Dr Shiao Chow
Strathclyde Chancellor's Fellow
Pure and Applied Chemistry
Personal statement
I graduated from the University of Queensland (Australia) with a BBiotech (Honours Class I) and PhD in Chemical Sciences under the supervision of Prof. David Fairlie, where I worked on synthetic metalloenzymes, developed helical peptidomimetics, and led drug discovery campaigns against infectious diseases. I joined the group of Prof Luke Odell (Uppsala University, Sweden) as a Carl Tryggers Fellow and developed novel carbonylative transformations using transition metal, photoredox and radical catalysis, and implemented these methods to develop 11C-radiotracers. I then joined the lab of Prof Adam Nelson (Leeds University, UK) and worked on the development of autonomous drug discovery platform. In 2018, I received a MSCA fellowship and joined the University of Edinburgh, where I developed targeted cancer theranostics with Prof Unciti-Broceta, and targeted cancer therapeutics with Prof Liz Patton as a MRC Fellow. In 2022, I joined the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry as a Chancellor's Fellow.
Prize And Awards
- Lean Launch Programme Award
- Recipient
- 2022
- Wellcome Trust iTPA Springboard Award
- Recipient
- 2021
- EUREKA/CRUK Entrepreneurial Programme Award
- Recipient
- 2020
- MRC Proximity-to-Discovery Award
- Recipient
- 2020
- Marie Curie Individual Fellowship
- Recipient
- 2018
- Carl Tryggers Fellowship
- Recipient
- 2014
Publications
- Miniaturized HOXB13 mimetics are sequence-specific, methyl-sensitive DNA binders
- Wong Claire, Chow Shiao Y
- Journal of the American Chemical Society (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c01290
- Orthogonal regioselective synthesis of folic acid γ-conjugates
- Connelly Ciera F, Chow Shiao Y
- Organic Letters Vol 27, pp. 13492-13497 (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.orglett.5c04256
- Cancer-targeting upconversion nanoparticles to track-and-treat glioblastoma
- Connelly Ciera, Chow Shiao
- ScotChem Polymer & Soft Materials III Conference
(2024) - Targeted molecular construct for bioorthogonal theranostics of PD-L1-expressing cancer cells
- Chow Shiao Y, Unciti-Broceta Asier
- JACS Au Vol 2, pp. 1747–1756 (2022)
- https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.2c00328
- Activity-directed expansion of a series of antibacterial agents
- Leggott Abbie, Clarke Justin E, Chow Shiao, Warriner Stuart L, O'Neill Alex J, Nelson Adam
- Chemical Communications Vol 56, pp. 8047-8050 (2020)
- https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CC02361B
- Efficient approaches for the synthesis of diverse α-diazo amides
- Chow Shiao, Green Adam I, Arter Christopher, Liver Samuel, Leggott Abbie, Trask Luke, Karageorgis George, Warriner Stuart, Nelson Adam
- Synthesis Vol 52, pp. 1695-1706 (2020)
- https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0039-1690905
Research Interests
My research interests are centred on a ‘Catalysis’ theme, and interface computational science, chemistry and biology. My research aims to build next generation bioorthogonal catalysts – by combining nature’s enzymes and synthetic catalysts – to perform advanced biological interrogation in living systems. The long term aims of my research are to develop smarter diagnostic tools for early detection and disease prevention.
Professional Activities
- Scottish Research Showcase - Explorathon 22
- Recipient
- 3/11/2022
- Chaired Accelerate Chemistry Challenge
- Participant
- 20/6/2025
- Chaired Final Year Project Presentation (ChemBio Section)
- Participant
- 26/2/2025
- Empowering Women in Organic Chemistry (
- Participant
- 2025
- Internal examiner of Strathclyde PhD candidate (Kaveh Eskandari)
- Examiner
- 2025
- External examiner of MRes candidate (Millie Sheridan, University of Dundee)
- Examiner
- 2025
Projects
- Cancer-Targeting Upconversion Nanoparticles to Track-and-Treat Glioblastoma
- MacKenzie, Lewis (Principal Investigator) Chow, Shiao (Co-investigator) Gomez-Roman, Natividad (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2027
- EPSRC Core Equipment Maintenance Award: CD
- Chow, Shiao (Principal Investigator) Edkins, Robert (Principal Investigator) MacKenzie, Lewis (Principal Investigator)
- £12,576
- 13-Jan-2024 - 12-Jan-2025
- Industrial CASE Account - University of Strathclyde 2024 | O'Brien, Megan
- Jamieson, Craig (Principal Investigator) Chow, Shiao (Co-investigator) O'Brien, Megan (Research Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2024 - 01-Jan-2025
- GLAS-CYTO: AN INTEGRATED FACILITY FOR THE BIOPHYSICAL ANALYSIS OF CELLULAR INTERACTIONS
- Burley, Glenn (Principal Investigator) Chamberlain, Luke (Co-investigator) Chow, Shiao (Co-investigator) Corrigan, Damion (Co-investigator) Cunningham, Margaret Rose (Co-investigator) Faulds, Karen (Co-investigator) Jamieson, Craig (Co-investigator) Rattray, Zahra (Co-investigator) Tomkinson, Nick (Co-investigator) Taladriz Sender, Andrea (Research Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2024 - 31-Jan-2025
- Closing the Loop in Sustainable Metal Catalysis in the Laboratory
- Chow, Shiao (Principal Investigator)
- 04-Jan-2024 - 03-Jan-2025
- DTP 2224 University of Strathclyde | Madoda, Mxolisi
- Beveridge, Rebecca (Principal Investigator) Chow, Shiao (Co-investigator) Madoda, Mxolisi (Research Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2023 - 01-Jan-2027
Contact
Dr
Shiao
Chow
Strathclyde Chancellor's Fellow
Pure and Applied Chemistry
Email: shiao.chow@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 2275